Future and Past
by StrawberrylovesCherry
Summary: Four years after the battle of Republic city, the Avatar is in the spirit world. She went through the portal soon months after the descent of Kuvira. Four years have passed and nobody has any clue about the whereabouts of the Avatar. Meanwhile deep in the shadows a great threat is preparing to erupt.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

( Smoke and Fire)

There was a brief moment of time after the explosion. Smoke and fire emerged from the ruins of the building. Trembling noises were wavering between the stones. One creature, a human possibly stood up in the midst of fire.

„Fuck you and your dedication" he shouted and vanished in the fire. There were ten soldiers not far from there. They were exhausted, only for a bit though, and now they just stopped for a little to admire their works of madness. They were all firebenders. They wore black and crimson outfits with a dark eagle on their helmet. They were the winners of this tragic moment.

„OH I swear that this was so easy, I dont know why did the commander hired all of us, i mean even two could have done it without much of a problem…"

„Shut up, he did it for a good reason, he is the commander after all".

The team then slowly faded away in the darkness as they left the field.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

Four years

It has been four years since the battle of Republic City. The city was almost renovated thanks to the cooperative works of benders and non-benders, new bridges have been built, whole streets have been reconstructed, and the people of the city kind of got used to the giant sparking pillar of light in the city center.

Ever since the spirit portal has been opened. The spiritual activities grew in number as the spirits could easily pass through from the spirit world. At first it bothered the citizens however as the months passed one from another everyone got used to them also.

There was another constructive zone however less that spectacular as the pillar of light but still eye catching. A huge villa on the mountainside. The villa was about as big as the pro bending ring, and the overall landmass it took was like a quadrant of a district as it had open fields outside. It was the property of Asami Sato a young businesswoman and inventor, as they used to call her.

After the battle she redesigned the core of her company the former Future Industries to a company which had one main priority: Technology and improvement. They started building the villa so that it would host a place for the poor and homeless people who had lost their home or family during the Kuvira incident. At that moment the residents were about 1400 in numbers. Ms. Asami had an increasing level of fame, basically only the Avatar had bigger popularity than her. Some people claimed she would be a perfect role model for the city, some said she could even make to be the first mayor of the city. After the Kuvira incident, President Raiko resigned due to the fact that he was unable to prevent the outcome of the incident and the destruction. A council of people succeeded him, mainly formed by benders and non benders. It had ten members five-five respectively.

As far as the Avatar is concerned, she left the city to wander the world, seeking for new guidance in the spirit world, as she was eager to find answers of her questions. What did Zaheer said when he said the power of the avatar is limitless, what is this new ability of bending the energy specifically, and also the main question, is there a way to reconnect with the previous avatars. These questions lead her, she was determined and stronger than ever when she passed the spirit portal…. Four years have spent and she hasn't given any clues about her whereabouts or status….. Four years have spent and the World was without her Avatar.


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

Mémoire du passé

Six months after the attack of the Earth Empire, Korra was walking in the park of which was named after her. She was not alone her girlfriend was also with her. Asami was cautious as she knew what the avatar would say after their usual walking trip. She knew it weeks ago, she felt that her beloved girlfriend has some serious concerns buried deep inside her heart.

„So how was today's training?" She asked her to soften the tension. It was a windy autumn day. The wind carried lots of leaves from the trees and the wind was cold, and brash, as if it would like to go through anything, clothes, skin and even the soul. Asami wandered about it for a moment when she was interrupted, pulled back to reality.

„It was as it is supposed to be" Korra answered with cold voice

She wanted to talk about her concerns with Asami for a few weeks now, but she didn't know how to start it. Deep inside her hearth he knew that it might be way too much…. especially since their relationship was fresh and they loved each other. Still she was committed, she had to make a decision so that she did.

„Umm, well Asami, I think we need to talk…" She started and noticed the sudden tremble in the woman's face.

„Don't worry its not about that what you think" she continued with calm voice

„I have been thinking about it lately and you know the more i think about it the more i would like to do it" She was elevated and yet a bit of sad

„Come on what is it, guess it has nothing to do with our relationship, has it?

„Well the thing is… Umm I know that.. and so that… well" She was confused and scent of fear was inside her voice.

„Shhh honey, I know it… You would like to go wouldn't you?"

„Oh well the thing is yes, but still i don't want to leave you behi.." she was interrupted as Asami kissed her with a passionate kiss. The kiss lasted long, and it told everything.

„I know …and I understand. You would like to go but you don't know how much time it would be to accomplish what you would like to accomplish?...Am I right?" She asked with her natural questioning eyes of what the avatar liked the most.

„Yes… I would like to go to the spirit world, to get answers to my question, questions that bother me ever since we defeated Kuvira"

„I understand…well „ she took a moment of pause as she lifted her head to catch the running coulds on the blue sky.

„Go…but before that lets have some fun together" She forced a smile to her face as she grabbed Korra's left arm, Korra nodded and the two was walking home in the sunset.

Suddenly she woke up, at first she didn't know where is she, then the last fragment of the vision faded away like it would be nothing but a weak whiff of air. She got up and packed her changes to the bag,

„well its time to reach that forest shall we ?"

She headed to the direction of the training zone to the Forest.


	4. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

The Forest

Usually she went for a trip in order to shut off the world from her mind, during these trips she often found herself wandering across the lands. Various landscapes, wild forests, crystal clear rivers. Tribes of different kind of spirits, in a variety never seen before. She was in a lot of places, yet there was one specific place she preferred more than the others. It was the Forest, she discovered it while wandering around the spirit realm in the very first week after she came into this world. At first the place was just like the other unique places she visited. It was just another part of the landscape. But everything changed when she passed the edge of the Forest.

„Oh goosh, I wonder whats gonna be for today".. she asked herself with a decreasing tone.

„Better get ready for some exreme stuff, the old man doesn't like laziness"

She reached the field which surrounded the Forest. The field of grass, as she used to call it. It got that name because the grass was thicker and bigger than the other grasses throughout the territory. Whenever Korra passed through it, she always felt the strange feeling, as the grass itself would be a living being. It would not be that unusual, since she have encountered with a talking tree, and a spirited mountain before, but the feeling was some kind of different than before.

„Oh yes I knew it what is it honey?" she shouted

„Oh so there you are „ … The voice came from the Forest it was a voice of a little girl who was however not a living person, a moment of hesitation and a blueish creature emerged from the depth of the Forest.

„Oh Korra I thought you would be back sooner." The spirit turned into a butterfly and flew to the right shoulder of Korra.

Oddly enough at the very moment another spirit appeared. It was a human like spirit. She had long hair, which even reached her tights. When she stepped from the depths of the forest she brightened the surroundings, the bright blue blooming emitted from her body and it reached the Avatar.

„Korra, the master is waiting for you …"-She said it with a descending tone.

„Oh yes I thought a little bit of wandering would be refreshing, and I know I was a bit of late, but he advised this trip not me…"

„He has been waiting for you, come, today you will meet him in the other side of the Forest"- the woman like spirit invited Korra to the Forest and as She stepped on the very edge of the giant pine trees, it somehow sucked her in. It had happened before when she first came to this place, the circumstances and the outcome was a bit different though, since she came without any invitation. As later got revealed only with an invitation shall anyone pass the boundaries of the Forest. Without it… you might get lost inside.

The darkness which was usually always inside of the Forest now brightened up as they passed through a well chosen path. The human like spirit leaded the way as she followed her right behind.

After a couple of minutes, the leader stopped, she then emitted even more radiant lights and the surrounding of the Forest got colorful and brighter. It was indeed not the same place as Korra was familiar with. The usual training zone were still inside of the Forest but it had a little tent of which was created as the request of the avatar, and a giant circle zone, usually built for training, and for meditation. There were a giant pedestal of where the Hermit usually sat upon.

Korra kind of loved that certain place, it had its own uniqueness.

„Hey, where are you wandering ?"

The calm voice of the spirit rushed into the avatar's head and pulled back her from that vision of memory.

The reality was so much different, there were no training zone, even the pedestal was missing. There were however, three different urns int he center of the grassy field. The whole brightened territory was about twenty meters in diameter and there were nothing but those three urns in the middle of the circle.

„Come, Korra this is your next journey"

The spirit didn't wait any moment, it transformed to a blueish globe and floated upwards. Korra watched it as it slowly disappeared far above the forest.

„Shh, what is this now ? I knew that today is gonna be that day, but I just don't understand. Last time the Hermit said we will meet again before I ascend. Whatever let's check them out"

She slowly stepped to the first urn on the left. There was something written on it

„Fear?… what does that supposed to mean?" She asked herself as he touched the top of the Urn.

„Last time we did that I only had to meditate… well we wont find out unless we try"

She touched the top again, and slowly opened it for a bit. A bright wave of light emerged from the little leak, so bright that she even covered her face.

„Okay … hmm lets do it"

Meanwhile on the other side of the Forest in the place of the usual training field, a blueish light descended, a moment after it transformed to a human like form, the human was different from the female lookalike it presented before. It had the appearance of an old man, and this time it manifest perfectly, without the spirit lights and the brightness. It was just an ordinary old man who wore a golden necklace with a strange urn symbol on it.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

 _Dark Eagle_

 _Twenty years ago, Fire Nation, the eagle have risen from the cliffside. Its beak was not empty, it carried a living being, a frightened rat, a creature which usually was not the best prey for the eagle, but in times of need it was more than enough. The eagle flew upon its nest, it made sure so that the nestlings are safe and healthy, a second after the three hungry little bird started to pinch over the legs of the rat. Usually the mother feed them by tearing the flesh off, but this time it was different. The mother eagle kept the rat amongst her beak while the little nestlings tried to tear off the leg of the rat. Meanwhile the rat realized its doom, started to break out from the grip if the mother eagle. Unfortunate to it, the sudden movement of the legs only made the hungry little birds even more aggressive, and this was exactly what the mother eagle wanted_ _,_ _she suddenly lifted the body of the rat by grapping its neck, she loose the grip only for a bit so that the rat might spot it as a possible chance of a last desperate escape. The nestlings were all bloodlusted … not just because of they haven't eaten anything for days, but because of their instinct, the instinct of survival. The sun was about to set, the cliffside had more than a dozen eagle nests. Each of them had nestlings in it. Some of them will be hungry at the end of the day, some of them even lost the mother days before. The dark eagle however had the rat, and the nestlings just realized that pinching the soft skin between the legs is way more effective and so the blood started to spill and the sun finally sat over the horizon._

 _Several meters below in the local village, two young children were walking down the street. A boy and a girl, both are their ages of ten. They were siblings and orphans. Their parents were killed by the sneaking plague which lasted two years and ended up five years ago. Nowadays they lived with the other orphans at the orphanage which was built_ _soon after the plague ended. They used to sell oranges in the market at the other side of the village. Today they sold only a couple of them, usually the money they got were spent for clothing, as the orphanage was poor. It only gave place to sleep and daily food once a day. There were no money for clothes. Suddenly right after the last rays of the sun vanished over the horizon another group of people came from the opposite street._

 _"_ _Hey Fen!... it's a bit too late for you guys to walking around like that, isn't it ?" – The tall guy asked with a smile on his face… he was the oldest member in the group, and also the oldest male person in the village who was not "adult" yet._

 _His name was Atof. He was sixteen years old and the children often ask him about anything they were afraid to ask from their parents and other adults. During the plague not every children have the chance to get into the orphanage. Those who were unlucky formed a group. A group which helped each other as a family, there were about twenty children who were in that group and the leader was Atof. He was only twelve years old when he decided to help the poor orphans. They usually got assistance from the locals, but since the whole village suffered from famine, as the lack of people prevented the village to produce the daily goods for itself. The population had been two times more than it was after the plague. The whole village and its neighborhood who suffered the local plague shared the same fate._

 _There were no help from the officials, as they wouldn't want to spread the plague, they had to help themselves._

 _"_ _Oh I can ask the same thing Atof"- Fen said it with a calm voice, he slowly looked to his sister and she firmly grabbed his hand._

 _"_ _Hey Zaoli, how many oranges did you manage to sell today?" Atof asked now the girl while he stopped in front of them._

 _"_ _Not that much as we had done yesterday, but enough for a pair of socks, we might buy some tomorrow if the shop will be open" she stepped forward, dragging her brother towards her. They passed the group and continued their walk down the street._

 _"_ _Oh … poor child" They are yet to realize that staying at the orphanage is even worse than living in the street with us. At least we have clothes, and food daily, and we are free to go anywhere. Whatever c'mon guys we shall hurry, the sun already sat and it's a bit of cold now._

 _They disappeared as suddenly as the appeared. The street remained silent and emply. Only a few gaslights were glimmering as the last shadows disappeared._

 _On the meantime up on the cliff, the little eagles finished their eating. The mother eagle still held the rat by its neck, with the only difference that everything below the neck was missing. Blood, gore and flesh were all around the nest, it was left to be cleaned up by the eagle, the nestlings were all gathered as they were all tired._

 _In the pitch dark night a huge roar emerged. It was possibly a huge predator, a mammal most likely. The forest behind the cliffside was about to wake up, predators went for hunting, spiders were webbing their traps, snakes were crawling in the ground. On the opposite side of the sky, a blue light appeared, it was just a brief moment until it vanished, but for that moment the whole forest got silent, as if the whole world would hold its breath only for a second, and it all went back to normal._


End file.
